Prayers On The Inauguration Of A President

[Dr Free]

As I write this near the end of the Inaugural Parade, my eyes are red from the constant flow of tears.

My wife would have been 66 today. She would have been ecstatic to share her birthday with the rebirth of our country with the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. We would have cried and laughed and hugged together in jubilation to see this day come.

For us who grew up during the trauma of the civil rights movement, it is especially poignant that an American who happens to be of African descent has become President. It is a major milestone in the culmination of a life-long dream, a dream so well articulated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., nearly half a century ago. That we as a nation have made great progress is clear. May we take time during our celebration to reflect on how far we have to go. May we set our minds and hearts to carry out that dream, so that our grandchildren live in a world in which choices are made among people based on their talents, their skills, their experience and their fitness for a position, not on their race, their religion, their ethnic origins, their gender, or their sexual preference. May God will it so.

For us who have lived through good wars and bad, it is gratifying that an American, who believes that our greatest security comes from making friends rather than defeating enemies, has become President. May he always have good counsel in recognizing and dealing with threats to our security, but may he and we realize that our ultimate security will come when all peoples across the globe are as confident as we in their own security, their economic prospects, their freedom to worship and speak as they will. May we take care that our concern for the health of our nation not lead us to so bias our economic and political systems in favor of the United States that we suboptimize global economics and politics. May we act as individuals and as a nation so that peace and prosperity fill the globe. May God will it so.

For us who have been buffeted for decades by uncompromising ideological rhetoric, by the worst elements of adversarial democracy, by an almost unbroken series of elections in which we were more concerned to vote against a candidate than to vote for one, it is a relief that an American, who happens to be a Democrat, but who realizes that no one can long lead effectively from either left or right, has become President. May we all join him in reaching across all the aisles that divide us. May he find the wisdom to resist the temptations to wield power on his own behalf rather than on behalf of the people. May we ourselves moderate our passion in our beliefs and causes with a recognition that the people with whom we disagree are good people. May we take the time to open lines of dialog that lead to resolutions of disputes that all parties to the dispute can accept, that allow us to shake hands and sit down to dinner together. May God will it so.

For us who have known privation, it is hopeul that an American, who has experienced poverty both personally and in the people has tried to assist, has become President. May we answer his call to service to our fellows in need, in our community, our nation, our world. May we heed our experience that free markets foster increased wealth throughout the economy, but may we also be aware that unregulated greed can wreak havoc on those least able to withstand it. May our new President and our government find the wisdom to prevent damaging excess while preserving the engine of our economy. May we all temper our own demands for personal gratification by accepting the goal that everyone have enough. To quote a prayer by Bob Perks [© 2001, http://www.iwishyouenough.com/wish.htm],

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.

I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye."

May God will it so.

[Guest pathmender]

Amen.

May God bless you and keep you strong in His service.

Rev. Campbell.